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The teachers' strike in Old Forge must end by Sept. 24, and classes must resume by Sept. 25, the state Department of Education announced Thursday.

The deadline means the district would still be able to get in 180 days of school by the state-mandated June 15 - but students could be forced to attend school on many vacation days, such as the days between Christmas and New Year's Day. With the strike continuing, its effect on the school calendar is not fully determined.

Old Forge teachers have been on strike since Tuesday and continued to walk the picket line on Thursday. With teachers working under an expired contract since 2010, salary increases and how much teachers pay for health care continue to be major issues.

While a deadline for the strike has been determined, what will happen to athletics and other extracurricular activities as the strike continues remains unclear. On Wednesday, school board President Deborah DeSando said the board will make a decision on Monday. The district has scheduled a town- hall meeting for Monday at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Old Forge High School to give the public more information about the strike and negotiations.

Shawn Nee, vice president of the Old Forge Education Association, said Thursday that there is no reason for the district to cancel athletics. Teachers who are coaches can report and maintain those duties because those duties are not covered by the teachers' contract, he said.

"When we announced the strike, we sat down with administration and told them extracurriculars would not be affected," Mr. Nee said. "There is no way the school board will ever cancel athletics. Our opinion is that it's another tactic to negotiate in the media."

The board's threat to cancel athletics will make people show up at the town hall meeting, Mr. Nee said.

Attorney John Audi, chief negotiator for the district, said part of the reason not to hold activities is to put pressure on the teachers to return to the classroom.

If union members are willing to coach, they should be willing to teach, Mr. Audi said.

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